Campagnolo Shamal Ultra Mega G3 vs Fulcrum Racing Zero

Back by popular demand, the general all-things Road forum!

Moderator: robbosmans

rg255
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2014 1:04 pm

by rg255

So Fulcrum (owned by Campagnolo) produce the Racing Zero wheel (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/fulcrum-racing- ... lset-2014/) which bears a striking resemblance to the (very snappily named) Shamal Ultra Mega G3 by Campagnolo (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/campagnolo-sham ... -wheelset/). Other than the ridiculous choice of name on the Campy (it's like a twelve year old was in charge of marketing) there appears to be an ever so slightly different and perhaps more aesthetically pleasing spoke set up on the rear campy wheel. Is there any difference in performance? The Campagnolo wheelset comes in 1000kr (that's about €115 / $155) cheaper. If there is no sacrifice in performance I may as well go for the Campagnolo wheelset and spend the left over cash on other bike bits!
Currently upgrading 2010 Specialized Allez Sport Triple (Soon the only original parts will be the frame & forks!)
2014: Skandisloppet 156 km, Gran Fondo Stockholm 150 km, Vätternrundan 300 km.
186cm, on-season ~71kg (80kg in the off), 41 bpm HR

jimborello
Posts: 283
Joined: Sun May 31, 2009 5:07 am

by jimborello

They are practically the same wheels, for the price I would choose the Shamals. They are cheaper and for what I see it is the 2 way version, so if you choose to use a tubeless setup you can do it with no extra hassle.

If you are planning to use a shimano drivetrain please buy the Fulcrum Zeros! ja

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



rg255
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2014 1:04 pm

by rg255

jimborello wrote:
If you are planning to use a shimano drivetrain please buy the Fulcrum Zeros! ja


Is that for the sakes of keeping snobs happy?? If so I'd rather have the 1000kr in my back pocket than worry about those guys.
Currently upgrading 2010 Specialized Allez Sport Triple (Soon the only original parts will be the frame & forks!)
2014: Skandisloppet 156 km, Gran Fondo Stockholm 150 km, Vätternrundan 300 km.
186cm, on-season ~71kg (80kg in the off), 41 bpm HR

geca
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2006 8:45 pm
Location: Denmark

by geca

rg255 wrote:
jimborello wrote:
If you are planning to use a shimano drivetrain please buy the Fulcrum Zeros! ja


Is that for the sakes of keeping snobs happy?? If so I'd rather have the 1000kr in my back pocket than worry about those guys.

Hi Jimborello is not quit right as you can just ask the dealer to switch the cassettebody on ths Shamals to a Shimano body.
The hubs are the same so it should be a service that your dealer could do without any costs for you :D

User avatar
eckhous
Posts: 33
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2007 7:20 am
Location: Australia

by eckhous

As mentioned you can use Campy wheels set with Shimano 11S body cassette, myself using the Shimano 11 DA with Campy wheels with no issues.
About the wheels, I would prefer to take the Campy version and not the Fulcrum, cheaper and in my opinion more reliable.

Campagnolo makes bomb proof wheels.

Geoff
Posts: 5395
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 2:25 am
Location: Canada

by Geoff

I have both. You'll be happy with either.

User avatar
Roel W
Posts: 943
Joined: Fri Dec 09, 2005 9:39 am
Location: Belgium

by Roel W

Why don't you buy Racing 1? (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/fulcrum-racing- ... lset-2014/)
They're almost the same as the Racing Zero (different bearings) and a lot cheaper.

rg255
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2014 1:04 pm

by rg255

Roel W wrote:Why don't you buy Racing 1? (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/fulcrum-racing- ... lset-2014/)
They're almost the same as the Racing Zero (different bearings) and a lot cheaper.


Zeros/Shamals have ceramic bearings and weigh a little less.

I posted a question on the Wiggle page about the difference and this was their staff answer...

"I can confirm that there will be differences to the Spoke Pattern, Rim Profile and Hub Bearings between these two wheels which will make them quite different wheels to ride."

I'm calling bulls**t because both specify having the USB ceramic bearings, and I'd question whether the rim profiles and spoke patterns really make them quite different wheels to ride, how would you vote? (@Geoff in particular as he is the owner of both) Ignoring cost differences, as well as styling/brand-name-value, would you pick one over the other?

Geoff wrote:I have both. You'll be happy with either.
Currently upgrading 2010 Specialized Allez Sport Triple (Soon the only original parts will be the frame & forks!)
2014: Skandisloppet 156 km, Gran Fondo Stockholm 150 km, Vätternrundan 300 km.
186cm, on-season ~71kg (80kg in the off), 41 bpm HR

veloflyte
in the industry
Posts: 88
Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2009 3:08 am

by veloflyte

rg255 wrote:So Fulcrum (owned by Campagnolo) produce the Racing Zero wheel (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/fulcrum-racing- ... lset-2014/) which bears a striking resemblance to the (very snappily named) Shamal Ultra Mega G3 by Campagnolo (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/campagnolo-sham ... -wheelset/). Other than the ridiculous choice of name on the Campy (it's like a twelve year old was in charge of marketing) there appears to be an ever so slightly different and perhaps more aesthetically pleasing spoke set up on the rear campy wheel. Is there any difference in performance? The Campagnolo wheelset comes in 1000kr (that's about €115 / $155) cheaper. If there is no sacrifice in performance I may as well go for the Campagnolo wheelset and spend the left over cash on other bike bits!


What about the MadFiber wheels...? I worked for Ric Hjertberg when he owned the Wheelsmith (Ric is MadFiber founder as well). They are excellent wheels.

rg255
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2014 1:04 pm

by rg255

veloflyte wrote:
rg255 wrote:So Fulcrum (owned by Campagnolo) produce the Racing Zero wheel (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/fulcrum-racing- ... lset-2014/) which bears a striking resemblance to the (very snappily named) Shamal Ultra Mega G3 by Campagnolo (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/campagnolo-sham ... -wheelset/). Other than the ridiculous choice of name on the Campy (it's like a twelve year old was in charge of marketing) there appears to be an ever so slightly different and perhaps more aesthetically pleasing spoke set up on the rear campy wheel. Is there any difference in performance? The Campagnolo wheelset comes in 1000kr (that's about €115 / $155) cheaper. If there is no sacrifice in performance I may as well go for the Campagnolo wheelset and spend the left over cash on other bike bits!


What about the MadFiber wheels...? I worked for Ric Hjertberg when he owned the Wheelsmith (Ric is MadFiber founder as well). They are excellent wheels.



MadFiber went under and they are not in the bracket of wheels I'm looking at buying - looking for something of an all rounder so I'd like alloy because I want to descend mountains and get to use my brakes without fears of delamination, and low weight and rim profile to use going up the mountains and I live in a windy area... then there's the price, the Zero/Shamal is in my price bracket and is probably one of the best options within that
Currently upgrading 2010 Specialized Allez Sport Triple (Soon the only original parts will be the frame & forks!)
2014: Skandisloppet 156 km, Gran Fondo Stockholm 150 km, Vätternrundan 300 km.
186cm, on-season ~71kg (80kg in the off), 41 bpm HR

mrfish
Posts: 1749
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2007 12:49 pm
Location: Near Horgen, Switzerland

by mrfish

There are cheaper wheels out there which offer better performance. Aluminium spokes are like riding a propellor and carving bits out of the rim may save weight but likely you pay for it in aero. The wheels are also very rigid and don't dampen vibration, which after 90 miles may not be to your liking. The spoke pattern is also of limited to zero real benefit. Better to choose a wheel not designed by the marketing department. If you must pick some Campag wheels, Neutron Ultras ride better, weigh about the same and cost 25% less.

Some choices:
If you're riding Shimano then the Dura Ace CL24 or RS80 wheels offer similar weight and stiffness, better aero and a lower street price. Then the RS80, which just uses a slightly heavier hub, is the best choice if you like holding on to your cash.

A nice set of custom wheels would be good. See Fairwheelbike's hub comparison for what to pick, but I'd personally go for some nice colourful Tune hubs and either some fairly cheap low profile aluminium rims or Chinese carbon rims. Or Royce hubs if weight is less important. Any low profile tubular rim will ride super-nicely. With the right hub and rim weight will be slightly less than the Campag wheels you mentioned.

Another nice wheel is the American Classic CR420, which has a deep-ish aluminium rim, but is still pretty light. I replaced the rear hub of mine with a Goldtec hub as the old design AC hub was a pain to tension the bearings correctly. They ride nicely, weigh no more than the Campag wheels and have to be more aero.

Or you could go really cheap and buy some R500 wheels and just replace them after every winter instead of maintaining them. Aerodynamically the old R500 wheels with 16 bladed spokes and a rounded rim were really good and very stiff. I will admit that the hub sealing was crap, but for about $100 a pair they were disposable.

veloflyte
in the industry
Posts: 88
Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2009 3:08 am

by veloflyte

rg255 wrote:
veloflyte wrote:
rg255 wrote:So Fulcrum (owned by Campagnolo) produce the Racing Zero wheel (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/fulcrum-racing- ... lset-2014/) which bears a striking resemblance to the (very snappily named) Shamal Ultra Mega G3 by Campagnolo (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/campagnolo-sham ... -wheelset/). Other than the ridiculous choice of name on the Campy (it's like a twelve year old was in charge of marketing) there appears to be an ever so slightly different and perhaps more aesthetically pleasing spoke set up on the rear campy wheel. Is there any difference in performance? The Campagnolo wheelset comes in 1000kr (that's about €115 / $155) cheaper. If there is no sacrifice in performance I may as well go for the Campagnolo wheelset and spend the left over cash on other bike bits!


What about the MadFiber wheels...? I worked for Ric Hjertberg when he owned the Wheelsmith (Ric is MadFiber founder as well). They are excellent wheels.



MadFiber went under and they are not in the bracket of wheels I'm looking at buying - looking for something of an all rounder so I'd like alloy because I want to descend mountains and get to use my brakes without fears of delamination, and low weight and rim profile to use going up the mountains and I live in a windy area... then there's the price, the Zero/Shamal is in my price bracket and is probably one of the best options within that


This is sad but believable... The exact same thing happened to the Wheelsmith while I was there. Ric hired a CEO that then took over the company and destroyed it.
There is actually more to this story, but I won't talk about it. Needless to say... Ric Hjertberg is a very smart guy.

Causidicus
Posts: 320
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2012 11:20 am

by Causidicus

.
Last edited by Causidicus on Wed Jun 18, 2014 12:28 am, edited 1 time in total.

ico
Posts: 301
Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 8:20 pm
Location: on the border

by ico

I don't know Shamal's, but have ridden Fulcrrum Zero's for about a year and wouldn't buy them again. They are quite uncomfotable and are very sensitive for side winds (I suspect wide spokes). On the other hand the hubs are still great.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



graeme_f_k
Shop Owner / Manufacturer
Posts: 609
Joined: Mon May 26, 2008 12:21 pm
Location: UK
Contact:

by graeme_f_k

I've ridden both a lot - given what I do for a living, no surprise there.

The Shamals have a fractionally better torsional stiffness than do the Fulcrums - that's down to the spoke groupings and the way that they transmit tension through the wheel. It's a subtle and for most, almost irrelevant detail.

Apart from that, performance-wise the wheels are very similar.

They are not the most comfortable wheels over long distances / poor surfaces that Campagnolo make - Neutron Ultras (in this sort of price bracket) every day of the week for that.

If you are looking at clinchers, you can run 25s on the Shamals and that does take some of the sting out of the tail.

Pricing of Fulcrum vs Campagnolo is just down to distribution and the way the UK market works (well, with the internet, the world market, really) ... Campagnolo gets raped by the box movers, Fulcrum less so.

Some other great options discussed here but from a servicing perspective, Campag / Fulcrum are very low-maintenance when used for what they are made for ...

HTH
Graeme
Velotech Cycling Ltd - Campagnolo main UK SC
A Tech-Reps work is never done ...
Head Tech, Campagnolo main UK ASC
Pls contact via velotechcycling"at"aim"dot"com, not PM, for a quicker answer. Thanks!

Post Reply